1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing fuel into a vehicle in connection with a refueling transaction request, and, more particularly, to a fuel delivery system that controllably dispenses fuel based upon refueling transaction information provided by the customer in the form of voice communication signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
The standard configuration for a commercial refueling installation typical includes fuel dispensing equipment having a hose and nozzle assembly that is manually maneuvered by the customer into refueling engagement with the fill pipe of the vehicle fuel tank. The customer may tender payment using a debit or credit card-type transaction processing machine that is conventionally provided with the fuel dispensing equipment. The development of such stand-alone fuel dispensing units, which can operate autonomously from any operator assistance or governance, has enabled service stations to streamline their operations and ostensibly lower their labor requirements. Service stations have therefore been able to make the transition from full-service activity, which required a station employee to manually dispense fuel and collect payment while the customer remained in the vehicle, to customer-directed refueling activity in which the customer performs every aspect of the refueling operation and typically makes payment via an electronic commerce transaction, all without the need for operator assistance.
However, this shift in responsibility for handling the refueling activity created an undesirable situation for those individuals possessed of a handicap, physical impairment, or other such disability who rely exclusively upon operator assistance to perform such physical tasks as positioning the fuel dispensing nozzle into the fuel tank, removing and replacing the nozzle assembly when the transaction is complete, and interfacing with the electronic payment module to execute a payment transaction. For these individuals, the tasks of exiting and reentering a vehicle are difficult, time consuming, and require the expenditure of significant effort on the part of both the individual and any handicap-assisted mobilizing equipment. In recognition of these and other limitations of the handicapped community, federal legislation was enacted in the form of the Americans With Disability Act (ADA) to require places of public accommodation and private facilities meeting certain criteria to provide handicap accessibility.
The current trend in the refueling service industry towards placing the refueling activity entirely under the control of the customer clearly presents serious challenges to handicapped persons, and makes refueling transactions involving such customer participation virtually inaccessible to the disabled. What is therefore needed is a means by which current refueling installations can be improved to permit equal access to the handicapped and other individuals who out of necessity or choice remain in the vehicle during the entire refueling transaction.
According to the present invention there is provided a fuel delivery system which employs a fuel dispenser assembly to controllably dispense fuel into a vehicle positioned for refueling. A customer situated in the vehicle generates audio signals which represent refueling transaction information, such as a request to initiate a refueling transaction, fuel data indicative of the type of fuel to be purchased, volume data indicative of the amount of fuel to be purchased, purchase amount data indicative of the dollar amount/volume of fuel to be purchased, payment data indicative of the manner of payment, and a request to terminate the fuel dispensing activity. In a preferred form of the system, the audio signals correspond to voice command information spoken by the customer.
An audio receiver such as a microphone is integrally associated with the fuel dispensing equipment to detect the audio signals generated by the customer and to provide audio detection signals representative thereof. A signal converter such as a speech recognition device transforms the audio detection signals provided by the audio receiver into corresponding fuel dispensing command signals for use in controlling the fuel dispensing activity of the fuel dispenser assembly. In particular, a controller is provided to generate fuel dispensing control signals in accordance with the fuel dispensing command signals provided by the signal converter. The control signals are then coupled to the fuel dispenser assembly to effectuate operative control thereof. An audio transmitter such as a speaker unit may be provided in integral association with the fuel dispensing equipment to facilitate bidirectional audio communications between the customer and an operator messaging facility. This messaging facility can optionally provide real-time operator voice communications or furnish prerecorded voice messaging instructions.
The invention, in one form thereof, relates to a fuel delivery system comprising a fuel dispenser assembly operatively arranged to controllably dispense fuel into a vehicle positioned for refueling, and a control assembly operatively arranged to control the fuel dispensing activity of the fuel dispenser assembly in response to and in accordance with at least one voice command signal generated by the vehicle customer.
The control assembly, in one form thereof, further includes a speech recognition device, which is responsive to the at least one voice command signal generated by the customer, for transforming the at least one voice command signal into at least one corresponding fuel dispenser control signal useful in controlling the fuel dispenser assembly. A means is provided for applying the at least one corresponding fuel dispenser control signal to the fuel dispenser assembly to effect operative control thereof. The control assembly is preferably provided in the form of a microphone to detect the at least one voice command signal generated by the customer and to provide a voice detection signal representative thereof to the speech recognition device. A speaker is preferably provided to enable audio communication with the customer.
In accordance with one mode of operation, the control assembly performs a refueling transaction procedure involving prompting the customer to provide refueling transaction information; detecting voice signals representing refueling transaction information which are audibly provided by the customer in response to the prompting; converting the detected voice signals into corresponding fuel dispenser control signals; and controlling the fuel dispenser assembly in accordance with the corresponding fuel dispenser control signals. The refueling transaction information includes at least one of a request to initiate a refueling transaction, fuel data indicative of the type of fuel to be purchased, volume data indicative of the amount of fuel to be purchased, purchase amount data indicative of the dollar amount of fuel to be purchased, payment data indicative of the manner of payment, and a request to terminate the fuel dispensing activity.
The fuel delivery system may optionally include an onboard vehicle input device, which is responsive to customer input information provided by the customer that is indicative of refueling transaction commands, for producing audio control information representative of the customer input information. A signal means transmits at least one voice signal in accordance with the audio control information produced by the input device for reception by the control assembly.
The invention, in another form thereof, is directed to a fuel delivery system which comprises, in combination, a fuel dispenser means responsive to fuel dispensing control signals for controllably dispensing fuel into a vehicle positioned for refueling; a control means, responsive to fuel dispensing command signals, for generating fuel dispensing control signals in accordance with the fuel dispensing command signals and providing the fuel dispenser means with the generated fuel dispensing control signals; an audio reception means for detecting audio signals generated by the customer and providing audio detection signals representative thereof, wherein the audio signals generated by the customer are representative of refueling transaction information; and a means, responsive to the audio detection signals provided by the audio reception means, for transforming the audio detection signals into corresponding fuel dispensing command signals for use by the control means.
The transforming means preferably includes a speech recognition device, while the audio reception means includes a microphone. A speaker is further provided to enable voice communication with the customer.
In one illustrative operating mode of the fuel delivery system, a refueling transaction procedure is executed which involves prompting the customer to provide refueling transaction information; detecting audio signals representing refueling transaction information which are audibly provided by the customer in response to the prompting; converting the detected audio signals into corresponding fuel dispenser control signals; and controlling the fuel dispenser means in accordance with the corresponding fuel dispenser control signals. The customer refueling transaction information includes at least one of a request to initiate a refueling transaction, fuel data indicative of the type of fuel to be purchased, volume data indicative of the amount of fuel to be purchased, purchase amount data indicative of the dollar amount of fuel to be purchased, payment data indicative of the manner of payment, and a request to terminate the fuel dispensing activity.
The invention, in another form thereof, relates to method of performing a refueling transaction in association with a vehicle positioned for refueling. In accordance with such method, a fuel dispenser system is provided which is operatively arranged for use in controllably dispensing fuel into the vehicle. Audio signals generated by the customer which represent command information pertaining to a refueling transaction request are detected. The detected audio signals are transformed into corresponding fuel dispenser control signals. The fuel dispensing activity of the fuel dispenser system is then controlled in accordance with the corresponding fuel dispenser control signals.
The command information pertaining to a refueling transaction request includes at least one of a request to initiate a refueling transaction, fuel data indicative of the type of fuel to be purchased, volume data indicative of the amount of fuel to be purchased, purchase amount data indicative of the dollar amount of fuel to be purchased, payment data indicative of the manner of payment, and a request to terminate the fuel dispensing activity.
The invention, in yet another form thereof, is directed to a method of performing a refueling transaction in association with a vehicle positioned for refueling. In accordance with such method, there is provided a fuel dispenser system which is operatively arranged for use in controllably dispensing fuel into the vehicle. The customer is provided with a menu of information defining a plurality of refueling transaction parameters. The customer is then prompted to make a selection regarding a one of the plurality of refueling transaction parameters. Detection is made of an audio signal generated by the customer which is representative of the selection made by the customer in response to the prompting regarding the one refueling transaction parameter. The detected audio signal is then transformed into a corresponding fuel dispenser control signal. The prompting step, the detecting step, and the transforming step are then repeated with respect to at least another one of the plurality of refueling transaction parameters. The fuel dispensing activity of the fuel dispenser system is controlled in accordance with the corresponding fuel dispenser control signals provided in connection with each iteration of the prompting step, the detecting step, and the transforming step.
The prompting step further includes the step of providing at least one of a visual display of the menu of information and an audio transmission of the menu of information. The selections made by the customer in response to the prompting includes at least one of a request to initiate a refueling transaction, fuel data indicative of the type of fuel to be purchased, volume data indicative of the amount of fuel to be purchased, purchase amount data indicative of the dollar amount of fuel to be purchased, payment data indicative of the manner of payment, and a request to terminate the fuel dispensing activity.
One advantage of the present invention is that a refueling operation may be performed while the customer remains in the vehicle by collecting the necessary refueling transaction data from the customer who simply transmits such information via suitable voice messages, instructions, and commands.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the voice-controlled fuel delivery system permits refueling stations to be fully handicapped accessible.
A further advantage of the invention is that the customer vehicle requires no additional equipment or retrofitting to implement the voice-activated refueling operation, which distinguishes from certain conventional systems that equip the vehicle with a communications device, for example, to wirelessly transmit command information from the vehicle to the fuel dispenser.
A further advantage of the invention is that the voice-activated fuel delivery system can be implemented with currently available electronic robotic arm assemblies that enable the dispensing nozzle apparatus to be deployed automatically in response to the customer-issued voice commands, thereby fully automating the fuel dispensing activity.
A further advantage of the invention is that the voice-activated fuel delivery system may be constructed as a fully functioning, self-contained unit that does not require the assistance or intervention of a human operator to perform any task associated with processing and executing the refueling transaction request.
Yet another advantage of the invention is the ability to train users through voice interrogation to use newly added features on a fueling dispenser (i.e., insert card with magnetic strips down, remove nozzle to start fueling, etc.).